Once upon a time, there was a man called José Relvas,

who married a beautiful young lady called Eugénia.

They lived a wonderful love story and had three children: Carlos, Luísa and John.

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Mª Luísa Relvas João Relvas

José Relvas

Carlos Relvas

Margarida Amélia Mendes de Azevedo e Vasconcelos

José Relvas´mother

Eugénia Mendes(José Relvas´wife)

Carlos Augusto de Mascarenhas Pimenta

José Relvas´father

They belonged to a well- known family of Ribatejo,

and José´s father was a famous and innovative photographer.

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Francisco RelvasMaria C. Relvas Margarida RelvasJosé Relvas´sister José Relvas´sisterJosé Relvas´brother

José Relvas was a cultured and political man. He was a collector of

art pieces and also had an important role on the participation of

the end of the Monarchy and implementation of the Republic in

Portugal.

Illustration: Beatriz Freitas - Class: 7A

On October the 3rd , 1905, a close friend

of José Relvas arrived at this house

bringing an important message : there

would be a secret meeting in Lisbon , at

“Café Montanha” where the

Republicans would make the

arrangements for a revolution. Life in

Lisbon was normal, no one was

suspicious of what was happening .After

the secret meeting, a sign was arranged

to start the revolution: 3 canon shots .

Between that sign and dawn many were

afraid the revolution might fail. José

Relvas rushed to the newspaper where

reporters crowded in.

On the morning of the 5th of

October, José Relvas climbed to the

balcony of the City Hall and, among

their Republican friends , screamed

from the back of his lungs:

“Monarchy is over! Long live the

Republic!”.

Illustration: Bernardo Nunes/Alexandre Rama/Rafael Duarte - Class: 6A

Illustration: Francisca Neves/ Francisco Fernandes - Class: 7A

Besides his professional and

political obligations, José

Relvas was a concerned father

and he worried about his

family .The atmosphere in his

house was joyful and active.

They often played in the

garden, enjoying their

freedom; at Carnival, they

used masks and there were

numerous opportunities to

participate in balls and

classical music concerts at the

house.

The library was a very important place where José Relvas and his son

Carlos, spent many hours studying ,reading books and learning about

the things of the world. It was also the place where the secret political

meetings were prepared.

Illustration: Afonso Almeida - Class: 7A